After weeks of mesmerising weight loss reality TV, we finally have the 2008 Biggest Loser and surprise, surprise it is another male. What will it take for the producers of The Biggest Loser both here and in the States to understand that you cannot compare women and men in the weight loss stakes.
Physiologically, hormonally, emotionally and psychologically men and women are fundamentally different. The menstrual cycle alone can see a female gain up to 2 kgs of extra fluid over the course of a month. And you can easily dehydrate the body to a 2-5kgs weight loss difference. Points that may not seem that interesting until you consider that the win on this years Biggest Loser was based on just a 1% difference in % weight loss between contestants.
Surely, given that we are talking about serious cash, and serious attempts at weight loss we can afford to at least body scan the final contestants to make sure that the game is not won on a fluid deficit but rather actual fat mass lost? Why don't we? Most probably because watching a body scanner in action does not make for the most exciting television the way that huge scales (and apparent AJ Rochester) do.
Don't get me wrong. I believe that any program that draws attention to both the problem of obesity in Australia AND to the enormous dedication and hard work fat loss requires is awe inspiring and congratulations to Sam for an amazing transformation. It is just that I still can't help but feel that the female finalists deserve the win just as much as the young tucker does.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The rules of fat loss
Whenever reality TV shows like the “The Biggest Loser” start, a seeming abundance of gyms, personal trainers, diets and weight loss specialists emerge as we all try to lose the 2-3 (or 10-20kgs for some!) that has been “weighing” us down.
While the sensationalist nature of these types of reality TV shows can be sickening at times, one good thing about “The Biggest Loser” is that it shows plainly and simply, there is no secret to fat loss. Pills, potions, special diets, guru healers just do not exist. If you are truly serious about losing body fat, and losing it for good, you need to exercise hard and often and you need to eat very well, the vast majority of the time.
The Biggest Losers lose weight quickly as:
1) The have a lot of fat to lose.
2) They are carrying a lot of fluid which is reduced rapidly on a low carb diet.
3) They train for many hours each day.
4) They eat very few calories for weeks at a time which lets them lose weight quickly.
Once you have finally accepted these nasty truths, here are the top ten tips to sustainable fat loss which you can begin right now:
1) Never skip breakfast. The body burns more fuel in the first half of the day so breakie is vital.
2) Aim for 3 cups of vegetables or salad every single day.
3) Get rid of as much soft drink, cordial and fruit juice from your diet as you can.
4) Aim for just 2 slices of grain based bread each day.
5) Always eat protein rich (lean meat, dairy, nuts) and low glycaemic index carbohydrates together (grain bread, wholegrain crackers, pasta) for optimal satiety.
6) Always choose low fat milk, yoghurt and reduced fat cheese.
7) Do not graze. Stick to your regular meals and mid meals with nothing in between.
8) Stick to meat and vegies for dinner.
9) Add a quick 40 minute walk before breakfast to your 5-6 of your days.
10) Give yourself one day a week off.
And that is the secret to fat loss…
While the sensationalist nature of these types of reality TV shows can be sickening at times, one good thing about “The Biggest Loser” is that it shows plainly and simply, there is no secret to fat loss. Pills, potions, special diets, guru healers just do not exist. If you are truly serious about losing body fat, and losing it for good, you need to exercise hard and often and you need to eat very well, the vast majority of the time.
The Biggest Losers lose weight quickly as:
1) The have a lot of fat to lose.
2) They are carrying a lot of fluid which is reduced rapidly on a low carb diet.
3) They train for many hours each day.
4) They eat very few calories for weeks at a time which lets them lose weight quickly.
Once you have finally accepted these nasty truths, here are the top ten tips to sustainable fat loss which you can begin right now:
1) Never skip breakfast. The body burns more fuel in the first half of the day so breakie is vital.
2) Aim for 3 cups of vegetables or salad every single day.
3) Get rid of as much soft drink, cordial and fruit juice from your diet as you can.
4) Aim for just 2 slices of grain based bread each day.
5) Always eat protein rich (lean meat, dairy, nuts) and low glycaemic index carbohydrates together (grain bread, wholegrain crackers, pasta) for optimal satiety.
6) Always choose low fat milk, yoghurt and reduced fat cheese.
7) Do not graze. Stick to your regular meals and mid meals with nothing in between.
8) Stick to meat and vegies for dinner.
9) Add a quick 40 minute walk before breakfast to your 5-6 of your days.
10) Give yourself one day a week off.
And that is the secret to fat loss…
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The difference between good and great athletes
I have been blessed in my sports nutrition career in the sense that I have worked with elite level athletes across a number of sports including two of the best league and union teams. For many, this kind of work would appear to be the ultimate in career success but you may be suprised to know that this is far from the case. What you learn after wokring with a range of high level athletes in the best known teams it that there are good athletes and then there are great athletes.
Good athletes are the athletes who are physically blessed and do well because it is in the nest interest of those around them that these athletes succeed.
Great athletes are a completely different ball game. Great athletes not only have the natural ability but also the drive that seeks success above all else. For great athletes, the challenge is not only to achieve success based on the teams, media and public perception but to achieve success that they thelselves have mentally defined. Great athletes have respect for their bodies, their team and their support crew. Great athletes strive for the ultimate sporting success no matter what the pay is like, no matter how demanding the training is. Great athletes are one in a thousand sporting stars. Great athletes are the swimmers, the rowers, the track athlete who receive none of the public support or financial backing the footballers and cricketers receive and yet they possess physical attributes and mental focus that far outweighs that of any footy player.
So this year, an Olympic year, pay attention to these great athletes because they are very special people and I feel honoured to work with some of them.
Good athletes are the athletes who are physically blessed and do well because it is in the nest interest of those around them that these athletes succeed.
Great athletes are a completely different ball game. Great athletes not only have the natural ability but also the drive that seeks success above all else. For great athletes, the challenge is not only to achieve success based on the teams, media and public perception but to achieve success that they thelselves have mentally defined. Great athletes have respect for their bodies, their team and their support crew. Great athletes strive for the ultimate sporting success no matter what the pay is like, no matter how demanding the training is. Great athletes are one in a thousand sporting stars. Great athletes are the swimmers, the rowers, the track athlete who receive none of the public support or financial backing the footballers and cricketers receive and yet they possess physical attributes and mental focus that far outweighs that of any footy player.
So this year, an Olympic year, pay attention to these great athletes because they are very special people and I feel honoured to work with some of them.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Decent airport food - please?
I dislike plane travel immensely. As if it is not bad enough having to sit in extremely close proximity of hundreds of people you don’t know there is also the really bad food that starts even before you hop on the jumbo. In Melbourne for work over the weekend, I found myself at Tullamarine airport with an hour to kill and with hunger pains needing attention. As it is unlikely that the standard Qantas feed would be anything worth waiting for I took myself off to the food court in search of something filling and a little healthy. My options were palm oil using Hungry Jacks, who, as you can imagine were ding a roaring trade on a Sunday night, pizza or the standard airport catering with sandwiches that look like they were made last Sunday. Oh, and of course Krispy Cream donuts.
You have got to be kidding. Hundreds of people move through our airports each day and this is the best we can do. Where are the fresh sandwiches and salads, the yoghurts and fruits in the book shop or at least a healthy fast food option?
Given the tolls and parking fees we pay at the airport we deserve much better and don't even get me started on the appalling options in the International terminal. There really is no excuse for the airport offering such poor options. The consumer deserves to have the opportunity to eat well when the food supply options are outside their control.
You have got to be kidding. Hundreds of people move through our airports each day and this is the best we can do. Where are the fresh sandwiches and salads, the yoghurts and fruits in the book shop or at least a healthy fast food option?
Given the tolls and parking fees we pay at the airport we deserve much better and don't even get me started on the appalling options in the International terminal. There really is no excuse for the airport offering such poor options. The consumer deserves to have the opportunity to eat well when the food supply options are outside their control.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Stop asking me to upsize!
Last week I was asked on three different occasions if I would like to increase the size or number of foods I was purchasing. The first occasion was at the local coffee shop when my tall sized coffee almost come a 500ml Grande, the second, an offer of two large chocolate bars for one at the Shell petrol station when I was getting my fuel with the discount voucher to save a few dollars and the third, a cake with a tea at a chain style café. It is hard enough to and maintain your eating program and weight, let alone do it when cheap, high energy, high fat foods are constantly being offered to you. The statistics on overweight and obesity in Australia are well known, the reality television shows focusing on weight loss are booming in the ratings and yet powerful food and retail chains continue to ask consumers to upsize.
It is time to ask them to stop the upsizing pressure once and for all, are they not making enough money from us already?
It is time to ask them to stop the upsizing pressure once and for all, are they not making enough money from us already?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Cheese anyone?
Who doesn’t like cheese? Cheese is one of those foods, like eggs, which has been completely banned on many a weight loss diet. We are happy to plug ourselves full of artificial sweetener and low fat snacks made with heaps of sugar but we get rid of the cheese? It doesn't really make any sense.
Like eggs, cheese is a food staple across a number of cultures, consumed by many in vast quantities without any apparent health consequences. The Italians like it aged and dry, the Greeks white and salty and the Scandinavian’s light but creamy. So is cheese really that bad for us?
For some foods, high fat does not necessarily mean a “bad” food. In fact, I find that the so called “low fat” cheeses are far less satisfying (as well as tasting like rubber), which leads people to actually eating more food in total! Cheese is a rich food, and yes high in fat but studies have shown that cheese does not increase blood cholesterol levels, which is quite possibly due to the fact that cheese is also a rich source of calcium, which may be acting to prevent that negative physiological response from dairy fat.
So which cheese should you choose? Generally, light (25% reduced fat) cheddar varieties taste as good as the full fat versions, with a little less fat but if you love nothing more than some Double Brie or Camembert, enjoy ~30g with some light wafer thin crackers a couple of times each week. My pick for day to day varieties is either Bega Vintage So Light (2 slices each day) OR Jarlsberg Light (Up to 4 slices each day) which act as a filling, protein rich addition to sandwiches, wraps and crackers.
Like eggs, cheese is a food staple across a number of cultures, consumed by many in vast quantities without any apparent health consequences. The Italians like it aged and dry, the Greeks white and salty and the Scandinavian’s light but creamy. So is cheese really that bad for us?
For some foods, high fat does not necessarily mean a “bad” food. In fact, I find that the so called “low fat” cheeses are far less satisfying (as well as tasting like rubber), which leads people to actually eating more food in total! Cheese is a rich food, and yes high in fat but studies have shown that cheese does not increase blood cholesterol levels, which is quite possibly due to the fact that cheese is also a rich source of calcium, which may be acting to prevent that negative physiological response from dairy fat.
So which cheese should you choose? Generally, light (25% reduced fat) cheddar varieties taste as good as the full fat versions, with a little less fat but if you love nothing more than some Double Brie or Camembert, enjoy ~30g with some light wafer thin crackers a couple of times each week. My pick for day to day varieties is either Bega Vintage So Light (2 slices each day) OR Jarlsberg Light (Up to 4 slices each day) which act as a filling, protein rich addition to sandwiches, wraps and crackers.
The best cookbooks
A trip to any good bookshop in search of the latest cookbook will take you into the world of master chefs; Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Bill Granger, Donna Hay just to name a few; their colourful, visually appealing portrayals of modern day cooking must haves for any contemporary home cook. Put your hand up though, if you have one or all of these stunning cookbooks but have only cooked two, maybe three recipes out of them before they resumed their resting place in a kitchen cupboard or high shelf - where many good recipe books go?
Don’t get me wrong, I love these books just as much as the rest of you, and have the utmost appreciation for both fine dining and the success of these food artists but when I leaf through them to find a light meal I can whip up quickly after a long day at work I either do not have ALL the ingredients, or know it is too heavy for the average Tuesday night dinner.
While the modern chef continues to gain celebrity status in the UK, Australia and more recently US, many of them forget one significant factor; the majority of people cannot eat like this every day without gaining weight. The cream, butter, oil and carbohydrate loads of these recipes are way too high for the average mother of three living in the suburbs. This could not be truer in Australia, as we tend to need even lighter food than both the US and UK as most of our cities do not get the climatic shifts which include really cold temperatures each year (think-what did the aborigines eat to stay slim – protein and vegetables!).
And this is the reason that the CSIRO book has sold over a million copies in Australia. The CSIRO Well Being plan featured easy, visually appealing, contemporary recipes that families could eat every day. Once one of our chefs realize this, again we will have a best seller, that sits on the bench top, as opposed to gathering dusts on the high shelves that are hard to reach.
Don’t get me wrong, I love these books just as much as the rest of you, and have the utmost appreciation for both fine dining and the success of these food artists but when I leaf through them to find a light meal I can whip up quickly after a long day at work I either do not have ALL the ingredients, or know it is too heavy for the average Tuesday night dinner.
While the modern chef continues to gain celebrity status in the UK, Australia and more recently US, many of them forget one significant factor; the majority of people cannot eat like this every day without gaining weight. The cream, butter, oil and carbohydrate loads of these recipes are way too high for the average mother of three living in the suburbs. This could not be truer in Australia, as we tend to need even lighter food than both the US and UK as most of our cities do not get the climatic shifts which include really cold temperatures each year (think-what did the aborigines eat to stay slim – protein and vegetables!).
And this is the reason that the CSIRO book has sold over a million copies in Australia. The CSIRO Well Being plan featured easy, visually appealing, contemporary recipes that families could eat every day. Once one of our chefs realize this, again we will have a best seller, that sits on the bench top, as opposed to gathering dusts on the high shelves that are hard to reach.
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